Reefing apparatus for fore-and-aft sails.



No. 630,038. Patented Aug. l, I899. s. e. nmasszn.

REEFING APPARATUS FOR FORE AND AFT SAILS.

(Application filed June 9, 1699.} (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

WiTNEIEIEEE INVENTEJR 9 y .ZJyRis/Zy.

m: norms PEYERS no, Puormuma. wunmewm a. c.

No. 63Q,038. Patented Aug. I, I899.

S. G. DRESSER.

BEEFING APPARATUS FOR FORE AND AFT SAILS.

- (Application filed June 0, 1899.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Fi Z WiTNEEEEE IyN-FU 6% W A daZ/M' THE. uonms vnws co. wuorouwou WASHINGTON, b. c.

No. 630,038. Patented Aug. I, I899. 8. G. DRESSER. REEFING APPARATUS FOR FORE AND AFT SAILS.

(Application filed June 9, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Shaet 3.

No Model.)

m: ucnms PETERS co. mowuruo. msmnc'rou. n. c.

UNlTF STATES ATENT OFFICE.

REEFlNG APPARATUS FOR FORE-AND-AFT SAILS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 630,088, dated August 1, 1899.

A fi mi fil d June 9, 1899. Serial No. 719,904. (No model.)

To all whom it put concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN G. DRESSER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in ReetlngApparatus for Foreand-Aft Sails.of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of an improved contrivance or apparatus for application to vessels rigged with fore-and-aft sails,whereby one or more reefs can be taken in the sail without luffing up into the wind, so that the sail can be reefed or the reefs shaken out without the loss of time and speed, which is a necessary consequence of lnfting.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts fully described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing aforeand-aft sail raised to its full extent. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the sail doublereefed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, in vertical section, taken on line 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the device, the mast being shown in horizontal section, the sail having been removed and a portion of the socket for the boom being represented as broken out.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a represents the mast; A, a fore-and-aft sail; A and A, the two sets of reeling-points; B, the boom, and O the gaff.

D D are a pair of vertical plates connected by suitable posts D and containing trains of gear. This structure is provided on its rear side with horizontal brackets E, which have screwed to their outer edges clamps E, said brackets and clamps fitting into annular grooves F in collars F, rigidly secured around and to the mast. The brackets E and clamps E rotate freely on the collars.

H is a socket which holds the inner end of the boom 13 and is formed with horizontally and oppositely extending trunnions H, which have their-bearings in hangers or brackets h, secured to the outer surface of the outer plate D.

K K are a pair of rods parallel with the boom and a little below and on opposite sides thereof. These rods are supported by extending through holes in a series of brackets L, which are provided with openings through which the boom extends, thus supporting the bracketsatregularintervals. Theinnerends of these rods are in sockets N, bifurcated so as to produce rearward extensions N, which are bolted or screwed to blocks N, supported on horizontal pivots n, which are sustained by the .outer bifurcated ends P of the two short horizontal shafts P and P. These shafts are supported by and have their bearings in the structure I) and extend horizontally outward therefrom. The shaft P has fast on it between the walls D a gear-wheel R, engaged by a gear E, into which meshes a gear R, whose shaft S extends out through the rear plate D and is squared to receive a handle T and is provided with a ratchet S, adapted to be locked by a pawl S. The shaft P has fast on it between the plates D a gear-wheel U, which is engaged by a gear U, meshing into a gear U, whose shaft V extends through the rear plate D, has its end squared to receive a handle T, and is formed with a ratchet V, adapted to be locked by a pawl V.

The lower reeling-points A have one end secured at ate the winding-rod K, from which they pass up and through the gromets gin the sail down the other side and have their opposite ends fastened to the sail near its lower edge. The reefing-points A have one end secured at e to the winding-rod K and eXtend' up therefrom through the gromets g and down the other side to the bottom of the sail and have their opposite ends secured to the sail near its. lower edge.

In practical operation, supposing the sail to be raised, as in Figs. 1 and 3, to take a reef loosen the halyards \"V in the ordinary manner, apply the crank T to the end of the shaft S, and turn until the rotation of the windingrod K by means of the intermediate gear winds the reefing-points A around it. To take a second reef, do the same with the shaft-JV, which by means of the intermediate gear winds the reeling-points A around the winding-rod K, thus double-reefing the sail and bringing it into the position indicated in Figs. To shake out the reefs, unwind the 2 and 4E.

points by reversing the above-described operation and operate the halyards in the usual manner.

It will readily be seen that the sail can be reefed or the reef shaken out very quickly and Without lumngg'so that there is neither a loss of speed nor of time in the operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isp 1. Areefingapparatusforfore-and-aftsails, comprising a structure supported by the mast and adapted to rotate freely thereupon; gear sustained by said structure; a boom and a boom socket or support hinged to said structure whereby the boom can swing vertically therefrom; a Windingrod pivotally connected at one end with a shaft actuated by said gear; connections between said rod and boom whereby they are held substantially parallel; and reefing-points connecting the sail and said rod and adapted to be Wound around the latter by operating the gear, substantially as described.

2. A reefing apparatus forfore-and-aft sails, comprising a structure supported by the mast and adapted to rotate freely thereupon a plurality of trains of gear sustained by said structure and each adapted to be operated independently of the other; a boom and a boom socket or support hinged to said structure whereby the boom can swing vertically th erefrom; a plurality of winding-rods K, K each pivotally connected at one end with a shaft extending from one of said trains of gear; brackets extending from the boom and supporting the Winding-rods in positions substantiall y parallel with said boom; and a plurality of sets of reefing-points, the points in each set being connected at one end with one of the rods and at the other end with the sail,

substantially as set forth.

3. A reefing apparatus for fore-and-aft sails, comprising the collars F supported by the mast; the structure D containing two trains of gear and connecting with the collars by clamps adapted to rotate freely thereon; the socket H adapted to swing vertically from said structure by means of trunnions having their bearings in brackets supported by the structure; the boom supported by said socket; the shafts S, V extending respectively from the two trains of gear; the winding-rods K, K; pivotal connections between the winding-rods and the shafts S, V; the brackets L through which the boom and the winding-rods extend; and the two sets of reefing-points extending from the sail and adapted to be wound around the winding-rods, substantially as described.

STEPHEN G. DRESSER.

WVitnesses:

HENRY \V. WILLIAMS, A. N. BoNNEY. 

